New play tells the story of St. Paul Mayor Melvin Carter's police-officer dad

A powerhouse cast will participate in a Zoom reading of the History Theatre's in-development play, "Diesel Heart."

It's the story of Melvin Whitfield Carter, Jr. who, in addition to being the father of current Mayor Melvin Carter, was a St. Paul Police Department officer for 28 years. Growing up in the Rondo neighborhood of St. Paul, Carter also watched as the places he loved were destroyed to make way for Interstate 94.

Brian Grandison, playwright of the company's "Adrift on the Mississippi," is writing "Diesel Heart," collaborating with Carter. Directed by H. Adam Harris, the reading will stream online Sept. 4-10. The cast features Mikell Sapp as Carter, along with Rajané Katurah, Jamila Anderson and JuCoby Johnson. Tickets, which start at $15, can be purchased at historytheatre.com.

"Diesel Heart" is part of History Theatre's Raw Stages, a series of readings of upcoming works that also includes musicals about former governor Harold Stassen and fictitious baker Betty Crocker.